Believing i can talk to animals

[EveHarrington]

Ok, so I’m going to be honest here.

It’s obvious you’ve never been around any real “animal” type people because they ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL talk to their animals.

Yes, all of them. The crazy cat ladies. The feral colony feeders. The crazy dog people. And anyone who has a single cat that is part of the family and not just an outdoor cat, and anyone who has a single dog that isn’t chained to a doghouse 24/7.

What I’m trying to say is that your perception of normal human-animal behavior is incredibly skewed. I realize you had “magical” thinking in regards to animals as a child, but I’m here to say that your thinking wasn’t as “magical” as you’d like to believe.

That is, there is no need to explain to your kids how fluffy the cat doesn’t really understand when you talk to her. You’re not somehow scarring your children by giving them this false belief that animals understand. And, you’re not giving your kids enough credit for being able to figure out the extents of animal communication on their own. I think if anything, you’re possibly putting barriers to their connections with animals by saying the animals don’t understand.

 

[Mee]

There are people who don’ttalk to their pets. A dog trainer insisted it was wrong to tell my dog he was good or that I loved him. I like giving my dog recognition and he shows positive behaviour from such ( waggy tail, enthusiasm, affection) so I believe that while we do not discuss the meaning of love this is positive interaction for us both.

Trainers dogs ARE immaculately behaved.

 

[Ronin]

IMHO not wrong to talk to / at anything, if it brings you some sense of comfort and harms none.

Upholds the ability to verbalize, too.

 

[whiteraven]

Oops, meant to say "if you dropped any idea that any verbal communication or telepathic communication, is possible and real"

So basically I mean: it's best to not believe you can -truly- communicate with animals.

I respectfully disagree with this, wholeheartedly.

I've always known I had a special connection with animals. Based on stories I've been told, that was true from the very beginning and not trauma-based. Since I have a hard time interacting with people, this natural affinity for animals has served me well and I have no doubt that it is just "different" from the way a lot (if not most) people move in the world.

I was initially skeptical about the whole idea that we could communicate telepathically with animals, esp. those we generally consider pests or with whom we have no intimate connection. I decided, though, to explore this a little bit, and took a self-guided course to get a better understanding of what this is about. I am enrolled in a program that uses energy healing with animals, and communication with them is imperative to best help them.

Google Penelope Smith. Her courses are fantastic! There are also a host of other professional animal communicators that offer formalized instruction. One of the things taking a course did for me was help reassure me that what I was experiencing was real and shared by others.

I have many examples of times when telepathic communication specifically works. I usually include both verbal and telepathic when communicating; some animals, like our cats and dogs, do understand words, so I find it useful. Additionally, you learn that there are a variety of different ways to "communicate" and some of those who completely disregard the notion have been doing it all their lives.

I have two cats. One of them always comes when called - for food, for anything - and responds to verbal prompts extremely well but the other, not so much. I started using telepathic communication with her and she responds immediately every single time. There is nothing impossible or unreal about my connection with her.

I'm forever talking to the beings we've decided to turn into property, be it for a meal or fo...

So beautifully and well-said!

I didn’t even realize it was wrong until my therapist at the time told me.

This seriously bothers me. Not just in terms of the subject here, but generally.

I see this a lot, said in a variety of ways, and I think it negates our ability to think for ourselves and to assume that someone with a degree (usually in a very particular area, with a very narrow or limited scope) can experience for us. While I get that therapists, through their training, have - in some cases - a more thorough understanding of how this society believes human behavior and trauma work, that understanding is usually based on very limited theories.

My therapist would never tell me something I'm experiencing is "wrong." He fully accepts that I have experiences on a different level than many and that nothing we believe to be "real" is more than conjecture. That attitude has allowed me room to explore myself much more thoroughly than the very rigid beliefs of some have. In fact, I've only experienced harm from those who are unwilling to keep and open and reflective mind about how we *are* as humans.

 

[Rose White]

I think it negates our ability to think for ourselves

I told him I believed I could read others minds sometimes. He told me that I could not.

I thought that some people had a real power to read minds—he straight up told me it wasn’t true. That actually helped me a lot at the time because I was a college student earning a science degree and I needed to hold on to logic, my emotions were tumbling.

I still have many forms of magical thinking—all of them (talking to spirits, communicating with animals through telepathy—not body language, numerology, astrology, crystals) have professional proponents—people who make their living off it. All of these magical forms of thinking have the potential to mess me up mentally if I believe in them too much—if I make them THE lens through which I view my relationships and the world.

But now that I think about it, it was in my broken state that magical thinking caused me problems—because I didn’t have a self.

But now that I have a self (maybe need to change my name because I have one now) the magical thinking is more like play—I know my limits, I know that others are into them more and others don’t buy into it at all—that is... expected!

Glad to have that insight now—your post kicked it in for me @whiteraven !

I think when I posted it was from the old point of view—the “maybe there’s something wrong with me?” child part.

I’m strong enough now, my adult part is, to be able to tolerate my own inconsistencies, to tolerate my magical thinking without having to judge or validate it. I’m strong enough to put it aside when necessary (professional type stuff) and pick it up when I want to enjoy feeling connected and joyful, playful and curious.

 

[Freida]

Welll --- I communicate with my service dog constantly. Does he understand conversations on the meaning of life? Nope. Can he show me the meaning of life and understand my struggle with it? Yep

And the equine therapy is all about communicating with the horses. I'm not even sure how it happens but it's pretty freaky.

I don't think I can talk to animals -- as in have a political conversation. But I'm a firm believer that anyone who pays attention can talk to animals on a spiritual level. Same thing? Maybe, maybe not. but I'm happy with it

 

[Mee]

’magical thinking’ for me is problematic as a term. Only fairly intolerant people call recognised regilion ’magical thinking’ - people’s right to belief us recognised. And women are told ALL the time to trust their intuition with men and that if we did we’d be safer. Others treat science in a way scientists, good scientists, do not, each theory as irrefutable; Science stands to be tested all the time and our knowledge dies expand and change theories so those that treat each theory as irrefutable are also engaging in ’faith’.

As those of us who spend time with therapists know we all have some ’unreal’creations of thought with core beliefs, just world fallacies or other mutations of ’reality’.

I also think whimsy does us no harm at all. while no one gets hurt.

 

[ILoveLife]

I think there's a line on the so called magical thinking between perception and delusion.
Delusion as a fixed belief not confirmed.by reality.
In my perception my cats understand more of what I say than my rational mind gives them credit for. In my delusions they were attempting to control the world and had political aspirations lol yeah.. There's a real line there.

 

[MyWillow]

I think there's a line on the so called magical thinking between perception and delusion.
Delusion as a...

Actually I’m not sure that’s far from the truth ;) I swear the entire species has political aspirations hahahahaha

But yes, very well put.

 

[Mee]

My cats actually have a distinct want to talk about politics. But only Chinese politics from mid last century. Most things I say to them.they reply ’Mao’

 

[ILoveLife]

Hahahaha Now that I think about it... My cats appear to be communist too. Sometimes a Marx instead of Mao is yelled here.

 

[MyWillow]

My darling lilac Burmese, Lilly, reminds me of a wealthy, intelligent and exacting woman in a fine dining restaurant.... “A second breakfast. Neooooooooow!!!!” Hahahahaha